Since this is supposed to be a secular forum, one would like to know whether any real secular organization such as Human Rights Watch has independently confirmed the report from the Christian organization named Catholic Secular Forum. One would like to know for example whether these alleged attacks against innocent folk were primarily because they were Christian, or whether they are attacks against folk who happened to be Christian. From the secular standpoint, one would also like to know how many Muslims were attacked because they were Muslims.
Cheers, Santosh On Wed, Jan 22, 2014 at 9:55 PM, Marshall Mendonza <mmendonz...@gmail.com> wrote: Maha 2nd in no. of attacks on Christians in ’13 TIMES NEWS NETWORK Mumbai: Maharashtra has witnessed among the largest number of communal attacks on Christians in 2013, second only to Karnataka, says a recently-released report by the Catholic Secular Forum (CSF), an organization chaired by Justice Michael Saldanha, former judge at the Bombay and Karnataka high courts. Across the country, the report points at 4,000-odd offenses aimed at Christians, with 400 clergy and 100 churches attacked in a year. While Karnataka may have had a higher number of attacks on Christians over the last year, the report suggests that Maharashtra is the next Hindutva laboratory. “The new government in Karnataka is sensitive to the attacks on Christians.However, inMaharashtra, the police and the lower levels of state administration are highly saffronized,” said Joseph Dias, author of the report and general secretary of CSF. From the desecration of a heritage cross in Mumbai and a statue of Jesus at Mangaon to attacks on priests and nuns across the state, Dias says few other minorities would have been as tolerant to such attacks as Christians have been. “We’re looked at as easy targets as we do not fight back. We are compelled to turn the other cheek because our religion teaches us not to resort to violence.” Growing attacks on India’s Christian minority form the unreported story of communalism in India, says Harsh Mander, social activist and former member of India’s National Advisory Council, who has worked extensively with victims of communal violence. “Unlike pogroms targeted at the Muslim community, attacks on Christians are of a low intensity, though very widespread. You don’t have the sort of large outbreaks that you see in case of Hindu-Muslim clashes, and hence attacks on Christians often do not attract the same attention. However, there is a pattern emerging when it comes to attacks on Christians. Much of it is a result of Hindutva propaganda over what is perceived to be mass conversions. Like much hate propaganda, however, it isnot backed by evidence to show any large increase in India’s Christian population,” said Mander. Saldanha feels the onslaught against Christians is a cause for deep concern, especially in the run up to the Lok Sabha elections. “No party says they stand for communal violence, and yet such attacks continue unchecked,” says Saldanha. In addition to violent attacks, Dias points to discrimination against the church in cities like Mumbai where the civic administration is ruled by the Shiv Sena-BJP combine. “There have been instances where Christian burial grounds were destroyed to widen nullahs on one side of the road, leaving the other side of the road untouched,” says Dias. PERSECUTION IN 2013 Instances of persecution against Christians were highest in Karnataka, followed by both Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh at number 2 Odisha, Chhattisgarh, MP, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Rajasthan and Delhi were among the top ten states where persecution occurred Around 4,000 Christians were targeted in anti-Christian violence across IndiaOver 1,000 women and 500 children were victims of violence Over 400 clergy and community leaders were attacked About 100 churches and places of worship were attacked Seven persons were killed for their faith, including a seven-yearold child in Rajasthan http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Default/Scripting/ArticleWin.asp?From=Archive&Source=Page&Skin=TOINEW&BaseHref=TOIM/2014/01/23&PageLabel=7&EntityId=Ar00700&ViewMode=HTML __._,_.___
